Service Animal Policies

CNM Policies and Procedures

Employee Handbook 12.20. SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY

This policy differentiates "service animals" from "pets," describes types of service dogs, and sets behavioral guidelines for service animals.

I. IntroductionService animals are animals trained to assist people with disabilities in the activities of normal living. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of service animals is " . . . any. . . animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals who are hearing impaired to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items." If an animal meets this definition, it is considered a service animal regardless of whether it has been licensed or certified by a state or local government or a training program.

The ADA and CNM policy allow service animals accompanying persons with disabilities to be on the CNM campus. A service animal must be permitted to accompany a person with a disability everywhere on campus.

II. Definitions

Partner/Handler:A person with a service or therapy animal. A person with a disability is called a partner; a person without a disability is called a handler.

Pet:A domestic animal kept for pleasure or companionship. Pets are not permitted in CNM facilities. Permission may be granted by a professor/instructor, dean or other CNM administrator for a pet to be in a campus facility for a specific reason at a specific time.

Service Animal:Any animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. Service animals are usually dogs, but may be monkeys. A few other animals have been presented as service animals. If there is a question about whether an animal is a service animal, contact the Director of Disability Resource Center, the Director of Security or the Vice President of Administrative Services. A service animal is sometimes called an assistance animal.

Team:A person with a disability, or a handler, and her or his service animal. The twosome works as a cohesive team in accomplishing the tasks of everyday living.

Therapy Animal:An animal with good temperament and disposition, and who has a reliable, predictable behavior, selected to visit people with disabilities or people who are experiencing the frailties of aging as a therapy tool. The animal may be incorporated as an integral part of a treatment process. A therapy animal does not assist an individual with a disability in the activities of daily living. The therapy animal does not accompany a person with a disability all the time, unlike a service animal who is always with its partner. Thus, a therapy animal is not covered by laws protecting service animals and giving rights to service animals.

Trainee:An animal undergoing training to become a service animal. A trainee will be housebroken and fully socialized. To be fully socialized means the animal will not, except under rare occasions, bark, yip, growl or make disruptive noises; will have a good temperament and disposition; will not show fear; will not be upset or agitated when it sees another animal; and will not be aggressive. A trainee will be under the control of the handler, who may or may not have a disability. If the trainee begins to show improper behavior, the handler will act immediately to correct the animal or will remove the animal from the premises.

III. Types of Service Dogs

Guide Dog is a carefully trained dog that serves as a travel tool by persons with severe visual impairments or who are blind.

Hearing Dog is a dog who has been trained to alert a person with significant hearing loss or who is deaf when a sound, e.g., knock on the door, occurs.

Service Dog is a dog that has been trained to assist a person who has a mobility or health impairment. Types of duties the dog may perform include carrying, fetching, opening doors, ringing doorbells, activating elevator buttons, steadying a person while walking, helping a person up after the person falls, etc. Service dogs are sometimes called assistance dogs.

Seizure Response Dog is a dog trained to assist a person with a seizure disorder; how the dog serves the person depends on the person's needs. The dog may stand guard over the person during a seizure, or the dog may go for help. A few dogs have somehow learned to predict a seizure and warn the person in advance.

IV. Requirements of Service Animals and Their Partners/Handlers

Vaccination:The animal must be immunized against diseases common to that type of animal. Dogs must have had the general maintenance vaccine series, which includes vaccinations against rabies, distemper, and parvovirus. Other animals must have had the appropriate vaccination series for the type of animal. All vaccinations must be current. Dogs must wear a rabies vaccination tag.

Licensing: The animal must be licensed in accordance with applicable city and county ordinances.

Health: The animal must not have communicable diseases or infection.

Leash:The animal must be on a leash at all times.

Under Control of Partner/Handler:The partner/handler must be in full control of the animal at all times. The care and supervision of a service animal is solely the responsibility of its partner/handler.

Cleanup Rule: Individuals with disabilities who physically cannot clean up after their own service animal may not be required to pick up and dispose of feces. However, these individuals should use marked service animal toileting areas when such areas are provided.

V. When a Service Animal Can Be Asked to Leave

Disruption: The partner of an animal that is unruly or disruptive (e.g., barking, running around, distracting others) may be asked to remove the animal from CNM facilities. If the improper behavior happens repeatedly, the partner may be told not to bring the animal into any CNM facility until the partner takes significant steps to mitigate the behavior.

Ill Health: Service animals that are ill should not be taken into public areas. A partner with an ill animal may be asked to leave CNM facilities.

Uncleanliness:Partners with animals that are unclean and/or noisome may be asked to leave CNM facilities. An animal that becomes wet from walking in the rain or mud or from being splashed on by a passing automobile, but is otherwise clean, should be considered a clean animal.

VI. Areas Off Limits to Service Animals

Mechanical Rooms/Custodial Closets:Mechanical rooms, such as boiler rooms, facility equipment rooms, electric closets, elevator control rooms and custodial closets, are off-limits to service animals. The machinery and/or chemicals in these rooms may be harmful to animals.

Areas Where Protective Clothing is Necessary: Any room where protective clothing is worn is off-limits to service animals. Examples impacting students include the wood shops and metal/machine shops.

Areas Where There is a Danger to the Service Animal: Any room, including a classroom, where there are sharp metal cuttings or other sharp objects on the floor or protruding from a surface; where there is hot material on the floor (e.g., molten metal or glass); where there is a high level of dust; or where there is moving machinery is off-limits to service animals.

Exceptions:A laboratory director may open her or his laboratory to all service animals.Access to other designated off-limits areas may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

To be Granted an Exception:A student who wants her or his animal to be granted admission to an off-limits area should contact the Director of Disability Resource Center.

VII. Administration of Policy

Questions or concerns regarding this policy and its application should be directed to the Director Disability Resource Center.